The development of a dedicated leadership team was identified as a pivotal priority in the Cancer Center strategic planning process to ensure consultative, transparent and effective decision-making. This was accomplished in the last project period through a combination of new appointments, creation of new leadership positions in the Cancer Center and reconfiguration of existing roles for optimal impact on the cancer research agenda. As part of this reorganization. Dr. Rauscher was appointed as a the sole Deputy Director of the Cancer Center with a codified succession plan should the need arise to replace the current Director, and a second Deputy Director position that was previously filled by Dr. Herlyn was eliminated. Since the introduction of these changes, the senior leadership team has worked well together, guiding an extensive and transparent consultative process that involved every administrative, scientific and educational segment ofthe Cancer Center, and leading a stepwise but decisive implementation ofthe ensuing strategic directives. Together, the senior leaders prioritized changes in the scientific alignment of Programs and Shared Resources, directed an aggressive and successful faculty recruitment effort that brought to the Cancer Center seven new faculty members appointed at all academic ranks, refocused administrative functions and decision-making processes, identified opportunities for translational and patient-oriented cancer research and developed new initiatives to expand education and mentoring, including for underrepresented minorities. Overall, the senior leadership team has catalyzed the introduction of a productive culture of collaboration and scientific exchange that has transformed the Cancer Center in the last budget period, bringing about expansive gains in NCI and cancer-related funding, and significant increase in collaborative, joint publications across the three Cancer Center Programs. This positive trajectory will continue in the next budget period, when the leadership team will guide the largest faculty and facility expansion of the Cancer Center in forty years enabled by the opening of the new Wistar Research Tower